The basketball gods decided to give the Dallas Mavericks a second chance.
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It’s hard to find a better explanation for the Mavs’ good luck going from trading Luka Doncic to drafting Cooper Flagg.
In February 2025, they shocked the entire NBA by trading Doncic for a package led by Anthony Davis of the Los Angeles Lakers.
Doncic, a generational superstar who had just led the Mavs to the NBA Finals, was the type of player who never changes.
The Mavericks used reflections on Doncic’s body and defense to justify it. But it quickly came to be seen as a terrible deal.
That should have doomed the Mavs franchise for years to come.
Instead, the Mavericks got lucky in the lottery and got the first pick to pry Flagg away from Duke.
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FURTHER: What Giannis’ injury means for the Bucks’ future
How the Luka Doncic trade led to Cooper Flagg
To begin with, the Mavericks didn’t have great lottery odds.
But somehow, they managed to get to the first pick through the back door.
That wouldn’t have happened if they kept Doncic.
Davis was injured in his first game with Dallas, which left them out of the postseason.
Had Doncic stayed, he most likely would have led the Mavs to the second half of the playoffs. They wouldn’t have had lottery ping-pong balls at all. Flagg would never have been caught.
Of course, they would have still had Doncic. But at least, somehow, they were able to do it again.
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